In life and in death, fame and glory eluded Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779–1813). The ambitious young military officer and explorer, best known for a mountain peak that he neither scaled nor named, was destined to live in the shadows of more famous contemporaries—explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. This collection of thought-provoking essays rescues Pike from his undeserved obscurity. It does so by providing a nuanced assessment of Pike and his actions within the larger context of American imperial ambition in the time of Jefferson. Pike’s accomplishments as an explorer and mapmaker and as a soldier during the War of 1812 has been tainted by his alleged connection to Aaron Burr’s conspiracy to separate the trans-Appalachian region from the United States. For two hundred years historians have debated whether Pike was an explorer or a spy, whether he knew about the Burr Conspiracy or was just a loyal foot soldier. This book moves beyond that controversy to offer new scholarly perspectives on Pike’s career. The essayists—all prominent historians of the American West—examine Pike’s expeditions and writings, which provided an image of the Southwest that would shape American culture for decades. John Logan Allen explores Pike’s contributions to science and cartography; James P. Ronda and Leo E. Oliva address his relationships with Native peoples and Spanish officials; Jay H. Buckley chronicles Pike’s life and compares Pike to other Jeffersonian explorers; Jared Orsi discusses the impact of his expeditions on the environment; and William E. Foley examines his role in Burr’s conspiracy. Together the essays assess Pike’s accomplishments and shortcomings as an explorer, soldier, empire builder, and family man. Pike’s 1810 journals and maps gave Americans an important glimpse of the headwaters of the Mississippi and the southwestern borderlands, and his account of the opportunities for trade between the Mississippi Valley and New Mexico offered a blueprint for the Santa Fe Trail. This volume is the first in more than a generation to offer new scholarly perspectives on the career of an overlooked figure in the opening of the American West.

This valuable and long-out-of-print edition of Pike's Southwestern journals is being reissued on the bicentennial of the journey with a new Introduction by historian Mark L. Gardner.

A historian offers the biography of the soldier and explorer for whom Pike's Peak is named, describing his amazing expeditions through areas that would become modern-day Mississippi, Minnesota and Arkansas before being captured by the Spanish.

The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, meticulously edited by Elliott Coues, presents a critical anthology that consists of an intricate tapestry of exploration, endurance, and scholarly pursuit. Within its pages, readers will find a rich array of documentation and commentary on the early 19th-century expeditions led by Pike. The collection transcends mere historical documentation; it embodies a literary journey that explores the myriad ways in which these explorations contributed to the nascent American identity and the expansion westward. The anthologys diverse literary styles, from diaries to letters, enrich its historical depth and provide a panoramic view of American exploration narratives, making it a significant contribution to the field of American Studies. The backgrounds of Coues and Pike, as well as the other contributors reflected in the various documents and analyses within the volume, span a vast spectrum of early American life, military expedition, and scholarly rigor. Coues, an eminent historian and ornithologist, brings a unique scholarly perspective to Pike's raw and unfiltered accounts of the American frontier. This convergence of perspectives deeply enriches the anthology's exploration of themes like sovereignty, survival, and the human relationship with untamed landscapes. The collection aligns with and contributes to the understanding of American expansionism and the early republic's exploratory fervor, showcasing how these varied voices and narratives coalesce to chart the contours of Americas westward expansion. This anthology is recommended for readers seeking to immerse themselves in the depths of Americas exploratory saga, offered through a blend of firsthand expedition accounts and scholarly analysis. The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike offers a unique opportunity to explore the multifaceted challenges and triumphs of early American explorers, through a lens that is both panoramic and penetrative. It invites readers not only to witness but to critically engage with the narratives of persistence, ambition, and the forging of a national identity in the rugged terrains of early America. For scholars, students, and enthusiasts of American history and literature, this collection serves as an indispensable resource that fosters a deeper understanding of the American spirit.